Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic
Disorders NCLEX questions
A paranoid client presents with bizarre behaviors, neologisms, and thought insertion.
Which nursing action should be prioritized to maintain this client's safety?
A. Assess for medication noncompliance
B. Note escalating behaviors and intervene immediately
C. Interpret attempts at communication
D. Assess triggers for bizarre, inappropriate behaviors - ANSWER-ANS: B
The nurse should note escalating behaviors and intervene immediately to maintain
this client's safety. Early intervention may prevent an aggressive response and keep
the client and others safe.
A client diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder is admitted for social skills training.
Which information should be taught by the nurse?
A. The side effects of medications
B. Deep breathing techniques to decrease stress
C. How to make eye contact when communicating
D. How to be a leader - ANSWER-ANS: C
The nurse should plan to teach the client how to make eye contact when
communicating. Social skills, such as making eye contact, can assist clients in
communicating needs and maintaining connectedness.
A 16-year-old-client diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia experiences command
hallucinations to harm others. The client's parents ask a nurse, "Where do the voices
come from?" Which is the appropriate nursing reply?
A. "Your child has a chemical imbalance of the brain which leads to altered
thoughts."
B. "Your child's hallucinations are caused by medication interactions."
C. "Your child has too little serotonin in the brain causing delusions and
hallucinations."
D. "Your child's abnormal hormonal changes have precipitated auditory
hallucinations." - ANSWER-ANS: A
The nurse should explain that a chemical imbalance of the brain leads to altered
thought processes. Hallucinations, or false sensory perceptions, may occur in all five
senses. The client who hears voices is experiencing an auditory hallucination.
Parents ask a nurse how they should reply when their child, diagnosed with paranoid
schizophrenia, tells them that voices command him to harm others. Which is the
appropriate nursing reply?
A. "Tell him to stop discussing the voices."
B. "Ignore what he is saying, while attempting to discover the underlying cause."
, C. "Focus on the feelings generated by the hallucinations and present reality."
D. "Present objective evidence that the voices are not real." - ANSWER-ANS: C
The most appropriate response by the nurse is to instruct the parents to focus on the
feelings generated by the hallucinations and present reality. The parents should
maintain an attitude of acceptance to encourage communication but should not
reinforce the hallucinations by exploring details of content. It is inappropriate to
present logical arguments to persuade the client to accept the hallucinations as not
real.
A nurse is assessing a client diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. The nurse asks
the client, "Do you receive special messages from certain sources, such as the
television or radio?" Which potential symptom of this disorder is the nurse
assessing?
A. Thought insertion
B. Paranoid delusions
C. Magical thinking
D. Delusions of reference - ANSWER-ANS: D
The nurse is assessing for the potential symptom of delusions of reference. A client
who believes that he or she receives messages through the radio is experiencing
delusions of reference. When a client experiences these delusions, he or she
interprets all events within the environment as personal references.
A client diagnosed with schizophrenia tells a nurse, "The 'Shopatouliens' took my
shoes out of my room last night." Which is an appropriate charting entry to describe
this client's statement?
A. "The client is experiencing command hallucinations."
B. "The client is expressing a neologism."
C. "The client is experiencing a paranoid delusion."
D. "The client is verbalizing a word salad." - ANSWER-ANS: B
The nurse should describe the client's statement as experiencing a neologism. A
neologism is when a client invents a new word that is meaningless to others but may
have symbolic meaning to the client. Word salad refers to a group of words that are
put together randomly.
During an admission assessment, a nurse asks a client diagnosed with
schizophrenia, "Have you ever felt that certain objects or persons have control over
your behavior?" The nurse is assessing for which type of thought disruption?
A. Delusions of persecution
B. Delusions of influence
C. Delusions of reference
D. Delusions of grandeur - ANSWER-ANS: B
The nurse is assessing the client for delusions of influence when asking if the client
has ever felt that objects or persons have control of the client's behavior. Delusions
of control or influence are manifested when the client believes that his or her
behavior is being influenced. An example would be if a client believes that a hearing
aid receives transmissions that control personal thoughts and behaviors.
Disorders NCLEX questions
A paranoid client presents with bizarre behaviors, neologisms, and thought insertion.
Which nursing action should be prioritized to maintain this client's safety?
A. Assess for medication noncompliance
B. Note escalating behaviors and intervene immediately
C. Interpret attempts at communication
D. Assess triggers for bizarre, inappropriate behaviors - ANSWER-ANS: B
The nurse should note escalating behaviors and intervene immediately to maintain
this client's safety. Early intervention may prevent an aggressive response and keep
the client and others safe.
A client diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder is admitted for social skills training.
Which information should be taught by the nurse?
A. The side effects of medications
B. Deep breathing techniques to decrease stress
C. How to make eye contact when communicating
D. How to be a leader - ANSWER-ANS: C
The nurse should plan to teach the client how to make eye contact when
communicating. Social skills, such as making eye contact, can assist clients in
communicating needs and maintaining connectedness.
A 16-year-old-client diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia experiences command
hallucinations to harm others. The client's parents ask a nurse, "Where do the voices
come from?" Which is the appropriate nursing reply?
A. "Your child has a chemical imbalance of the brain which leads to altered
thoughts."
B. "Your child's hallucinations are caused by medication interactions."
C. "Your child has too little serotonin in the brain causing delusions and
hallucinations."
D. "Your child's abnormal hormonal changes have precipitated auditory
hallucinations." - ANSWER-ANS: A
The nurse should explain that a chemical imbalance of the brain leads to altered
thought processes. Hallucinations, or false sensory perceptions, may occur in all five
senses. The client who hears voices is experiencing an auditory hallucination.
Parents ask a nurse how they should reply when their child, diagnosed with paranoid
schizophrenia, tells them that voices command him to harm others. Which is the
appropriate nursing reply?
A. "Tell him to stop discussing the voices."
B. "Ignore what he is saying, while attempting to discover the underlying cause."
, C. "Focus on the feelings generated by the hallucinations and present reality."
D. "Present objective evidence that the voices are not real." - ANSWER-ANS: C
The most appropriate response by the nurse is to instruct the parents to focus on the
feelings generated by the hallucinations and present reality. The parents should
maintain an attitude of acceptance to encourage communication but should not
reinforce the hallucinations by exploring details of content. It is inappropriate to
present logical arguments to persuade the client to accept the hallucinations as not
real.
A nurse is assessing a client diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. The nurse asks
the client, "Do you receive special messages from certain sources, such as the
television or radio?" Which potential symptom of this disorder is the nurse
assessing?
A. Thought insertion
B. Paranoid delusions
C. Magical thinking
D. Delusions of reference - ANSWER-ANS: D
The nurse is assessing for the potential symptom of delusions of reference. A client
who believes that he or she receives messages through the radio is experiencing
delusions of reference. When a client experiences these delusions, he or she
interprets all events within the environment as personal references.
A client diagnosed with schizophrenia tells a nurse, "The 'Shopatouliens' took my
shoes out of my room last night." Which is an appropriate charting entry to describe
this client's statement?
A. "The client is experiencing command hallucinations."
B. "The client is expressing a neologism."
C. "The client is experiencing a paranoid delusion."
D. "The client is verbalizing a word salad." - ANSWER-ANS: B
The nurse should describe the client's statement as experiencing a neologism. A
neologism is when a client invents a new word that is meaningless to others but may
have symbolic meaning to the client. Word salad refers to a group of words that are
put together randomly.
During an admission assessment, a nurse asks a client diagnosed with
schizophrenia, "Have you ever felt that certain objects or persons have control over
your behavior?" The nurse is assessing for which type of thought disruption?
A. Delusions of persecution
B. Delusions of influence
C. Delusions of reference
D. Delusions of grandeur - ANSWER-ANS: B
The nurse is assessing the client for delusions of influence when asking if the client
has ever felt that objects or persons have control of the client's behavior. Delusions
of control or influence are manifested when the client believes that his or her
behavior is being influenced. An example would be if a client believes that a hearing
aid receives transmissions that control personal thoughts and behaviors.
